This month Wired Magazine published a brief conversation between Daniel Pink, author of A Whole New Mind, and Clay Shirky, crowdsourcing guru and author of Here Comes Everybody. The two discuss idle time, and the growing trend to use off-hours time for community good. Americans watch 200 billion hours of TV every year, but with new online social media tools, that number is dropping and people are increasingly taking up hobbies that they know little or nothing about at the outset. These social media tools give us a way to use our spare time to become experts on interesting subjects, even if they have nothing to do with the skills we use to earn our paychecks. Afterall, volunteers built Wikipedia, that vast user-generated online encyclopedia, in their off-hours for no pay, and they continue to maintain it.
When I worked in theatre professionally, I had no interest in spending my free time going to shows. Even with free tickets. I crave variety in my life and working a heavy amount of hours indoors, sitting down, largely in the dark, meant that I needed to be up and moving in my down time as much as possible. I became a serious runner again, I took up yoga, traveled extensively and actively started to participate in community service projects. These activities now comprise a much greater part of my life than theatre, which leads to an interesting question: “Is there any merit at all in just having ‘a job’ that pays the bills and provides time and resources for other interesting activities to enrich our lives?
In this economy, this idea encourages me. A few of my friends currently struggle with this concept – the frustration of having a job that involves a less-than-ideal purpose. Interestingly, these friends stay extremely productive in their off-hours. They have side businesses; they write consistently; they have fascinating hobbies; they raise families.
At the moment, I have a good deal of down time. Work has slowed up a bit due to the impending holiday weekend and the summer season. I finished my yoga teacher training. I could plunk myself down in front of the TV and celebrate all of this down time by letting it remain empty. I earned the relaxation. But Shirky and Pink have me thinking about energizing, invigorating ways to use the time wisely to jump a few fences that I see coming up in the distance. Idle time, while restful, can fill a higher purpose, too.
The image above can be found here.
Published by Christa Avampato
IN BRIEF
Author, journalist, digital product manager, and licensed New York City tour guide. Creator and host of NYC's Secrets and Lies. Alumna of the University of Pennsylvania (BA), the Darden School of Business at the University of Virginia (MBA), Arizona State University (Biomimicry), and the University of Cambridge (MSt in Sustainability Leadership).
I build digital media platforms, report on urban climate resilience and biodiversity, and produce live narrative experiences that connect communities to history, nature, and place.
THE DEEP DIVE
My work centers on a single thread: building systems and stories that foster deep connection to our shared world. Across digital streaming, environmental reporting, and live civic storytelling, I design experiences that help people understand complex ideas and the environments around them.
DIGITAL PRODUCT STRATEGY & MEDIA LEADERSHIP
At Carnegie Hall, I serve as Digital Product Manager, leading product strategy, operations, and technical delivery for the video streaming platform Carnegie Hall+. I translate artistic mission into scalable, high-performance streaming architecture that reaches audiences globally. Previously, I led agile product and delivery teams across operations and compliance at American Express, managed Broadway theatrical productions and national tours, and guided strategic initiatives across cultural institutions.
ENVIRONMENTAL JOURNALISM & AUTHORSHIP
As a freelance journalist, I investigate how living systems, urban infrastructure, and human culture intersect. My reported features on urban decarbonization, biodiversity, coastal resilience, and biomimicry appear in publications including Smithsonian Magazine, The Washington Post, Mongabay, Natural History Magazine, and Foreign Policy Magazine. In fiction, I write the Emerson Page young adult novel series, alongside upcoming historical fiction and nonfiction works on New York history, mythology, and human resilience. I also write Togetherhood, a LinkedIn newsletter focused on urban ecology and community restoration, and co-host the podcast Frameworks in the Wild.
LIVE EXPERIENCE & CIVIC STORYTELLING
As a licensed New York City tour guide and live event producer, I transform urban landscapes into shared narrative encounters. I created, produce, and host NYC's Secrets and Lies, an interactive live storytelling series staged across cultural landmarks including the New York Transit Museum, the South Street Seaport Museum, and the historic tall ship Wavertree. I also design and lead site-specific walking tours exploring coastal ecology, food history, and neighborhood evolution, often with partners at Climate Week NYC and the Natural Areas Conservancy.
DOUBLE OR NOTHING MEDIA
Through my independent production studio, Double or Nothing Media, I develop ventures across media, ecology, and public history:
Digital Products & Strategy: Architecting scalable digital platforms, streaming experiences, and operational models for mission-driven institutions.
Environmental Reporting & Publications: Delivering long-form reporting, books, and newsletters grounded in climate resilience and regenerative design.
Site-Specific Live Storytelling: Producing immersive live shows and educational walking tours that engage public audiences in community history.
CONNECT
Website & Production Hub: doubleornothingmedia.com and christaavampato.com
Newsletter: Togetherhood on LinkedIn - linkedin.com/newsletters/togetherhood-7273771832221089792/
Instagram & Threads: @christarosenyc
Emerson Page Novels: emersonpagebook.wordpress.com/
View all posts by Christa Avampato
This month Wired Magazine published a brief conversation between Daniel Pink, author of A Whole New Mind, and Clay Shirky, crowdsourcing guru and author of Here Comes Everybody. The two discuss idle time, and the growing trend to use off-hours time for community good. Americans watch 200 billion hours of TV every year, but with new online social media tools, that number is dropping and people are increasingly taking up hobbies that they know little or nothing about at the outset. These social media tools give us a way to use our spare time to become experts on interesting subjects, even if they have nothing to do with the skills we use to earn our paychecks. Afterall, volunteers built Wikipedia, that vast user-generated online encyclopedia, in their off-hours for no pay, and they continue to maintain it. 
You’re post inspires me to re-think my Tivo. In a good way.
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Same here, Tre! I love TV, but I need to make sure I’m spending a good chunk of my down time wisely 🙂
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